I saw an AMAZING bit of fire safety kit today. Hardware Sphere is a website that showcases ‘hot hardware and cool gadgets’, and the one I saw today is a very cool one – Fire Design extinguishers.
Tired of the normal red utilitarian fire extinguishers, this French company have decided to inject some style into the functional yet moderately boring fire extinguisher design sphere.
As you can see from the picture, you can have New York design (in New York cab yellow), gold stars, bling-tastic chrome and my favourite – bright pink with flowers and butterflies. This fabulous choice of designs means you can match your extinguisher to the style of your home – LOVE it.
Not only are these extinguishers mightily funky and stylish, they are also a practical safety device. Fires can spread very quickly once they start, and so having a fire extinguisher within easy reach is essential. Ensuring the safety of you and your family is always top priority, and having something that looks good too is a bit of a billy bonus!
Now, I have recently linked you to water fire extinguishers, which are the extinguisher of choice for tackling fires involving wood, paper, material and cloth. However, nearly two thirds of domestic fires happen because of cooking. The kitchen is a scary place (especially when I’m in there!), and chip pan fires cause one fifth of all accidental home fires attended by the fire brigade in the UK every year.
Water fire extinguishers are a no-no when it comes to deep fat cooking fires. If you have ever seen the demonstration that the fire brigade do with fat fires, you’ll no why. These fires get ridiculously hot – somewhere around 340 degrees – yikes! Putting even a small amount of water onto such a fire causes it to get bigger, scarier and more intense – basically making your very own fireball. Not really the best of plans, especially if you want to ever use your kitchen again.
Fortunately for all you avid chip-friers out there, I have a solution for you – the mighty wet chemical fire extinguisher. (Fanfare please!) This little beastie was developed specifically to deal with deep fat cooking fires. The specially formulated chemical causes a saponification effect – a big scientific word that basically means that it turns fats into soap by reaction with an alkali, and soap is far less scary than fiery fat!
So, another brilliant piece of safety equipment for your delight and delectation. As always, let’s hope that you don’t have to use it. Much easier to go down the chippie if you ask me!!
TTFN.
